


Wish Upon A Bird

by KatrinaEagle



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Altissia (Final Fantasy XV), Best Friends, Canon Compliant, Cute, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Promptis - Freeform, Secret Crush, Tags Are Hard, Wishes, so much potential
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:54:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25567795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatrinaEagle/pseuds/KatrinaEagle
Summary: When in Altissia, do as the Altissians do. That involves wishing on paper birds, so why not give it a shot? Now, the problem is the wish...
Relationships: Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Comments: 12
Kudos: 38





	Wish Upon A Bird

“Get your birds here,” called the stall owner to the group of tourists strolling through Altissia in the midday heat.

The royal entourage stood out like a sore thumb, all dressed in varying shades of black, and the stall owner could spot non-locals from a mile away. “May the Tidemother bless your wishes,” he motioned to the group, showing off the neatly folded paper birds at his stall.

“What does it do?” Noctis asked, handling the paper birds gently.

“Write your wish on the bird, toss it into the Tidemother’s mouth,” the Altissian hawker gestured to the imposing monument of the Leviathan in the middle of the square, the sun glinting off the polished metal and the crystal clear jets of water. “If it goes in, it means that the Tidemother would make your wish come true. Four for just 160 gil.”

Ignis frowned a little at the price.

“I’ll take it,” said Noctis hastily, pushing the coins into the grateful stall owner’s hands.

“Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to partake in local traditions,” Ignis said dryly, holding his paper bird elegantly.

“Sure wouldn’t hurt to get a little bit of blessing from the Leviathan first if you need to form a covenant with her anyway,” supplied Gladio helpfully, already scratching away on his own paper bird. Evidently he already has his wish in mind.

Prompto sidled up to Noctis, a mischievous grin on his face. “What’s your wish going to be? A happy reunion with Luna?”

“Wouldn’t come true if I told you, would it?” Noctis grinned back. He had the vaguest idea of what his wish would be, and it certainly didn’t involve Luna. As much as he loved her, the wedding was a political arrangement. Though the dress was certainly beautiful.

Now that his wishing bird laid empty in front of him, however, words failed him. His wish was a swirl of emotions and feelings that felt too raw for him to put down on paper. Writing it out with words would make it feel… too _real_.

Noctis wasn’t really aware of when things changed. Was it watching the stars under the night sky of Duscae, far away from the city? At Cape Caem, when the sound of waves at night made him feel untouchable? In the humid fields of Alstor Slough, trekking through mud to find frogs, the furthest thing away from princely- _kingly_ , now- duties that he could easily forget that he was royalty?

All he knows is that at some point in the past few weeks, he had come to realize he enjoyed a certain blonde’s company a little too much. And that he enjoyed looking at scattered freckles that were more prominent now than ever. And he found himself wanting to touch, and be touched by, a certain pair of slender hands.

Noctis had irrevocably fallen for his best friend on his bachelor party trip to get married to someone else, so that was probably a problem.

Perhaps he always had loved Prompto more than a friend, even back in high school, when all he looked forward to was playing video games with Prompto. Or even when they were working part-time separately, and they had to keep exchanging schedules to see when they could hang out. Or when he had to attend the many formal events held at the Citadel, and the best part of it was sneaking Prompto in as part of his retinue and seeing if they could get away with it.

He remembered the way Prompto looked under the garish light of the neon Motel sign at Longwythe, the vulnerability that Prompto laid open, his sudden urge to protect Prompto from the rest of the world.

_I’m nothing, really._

Noctis wished that he had been better with his words, to properly let Prompto know just how much he meant to Noctis. How much Noctis needed him. But Prompto had needed his best friend. Not Prince Noctis, not crushing-on-him Noctis, but his best friend Noctis, the one who would listen to all of Prompto’s insecurities without judgement and cheer him up the only way best friends could.

 _I wish Prompto would know how much he meant to me_ , Noctis finally wrote, printing the words in his elegant script. His heart pounded with how real it all felt.

Soundlessly, he folded the bird again and tossed it into the air. It landed neatly in the mouth of the statue, next to three other paper birds.

“Looks like _all_ our wishes are going to come true!” Prompto chuckled, slinging an arm over Noctis’ shoulder. “Come on, let’s grab a gelato! I heard it’s an Altissian specialty!”

Maybe tonight, Noctis could sneak out with Prompto again and have another heart-to-heart. Maybe tonight, they could make another memory under the stars, and become _something_.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!!
> 
> I wrote this during my lunch break at work because I needed to get it out of my system. I'm writing a long-form Promptis and it's... it's so huge, omg, I didn't realize just how many chapters it needed.
> 
> Here's a little fluffy thing. I really wish we got to explore Altissia more. There was SO MUCH POTENTIAL in that map, it hurts me that we only got to spend a tiny bit of time there.
> 
> PS. NO ONE TOLD ME I SPELLED ALTISSIA WRONG THIS WHOLE TIME. :(


End file.
